Sharpening The Knife Doesn’t Delay The Cutting of Vegetables With The Bow[eSports]: Chapter 94

94. Targeted Captain Yang

The TV and audio setup within ZMD’s base could be considered top-notch. Even though the group wasn’t present at the venue, they could still feel the excitement of the audience’s cheers and the passionate commentary through the live broadcast. Luo Baibai dimmed the lights in the living room slightly, accentuating the vibrant lights of the esports arena, creating a sense of being there in person.

Fu Zhou closed his laptop, for once not indulging in work, and instead joined them to watch the match.

The players had already entered their operation cabins, ready to go. The screen shifted to the commentator’s booth, where a standard setup of two men and one woman was analyzing the players’ choices.

“Huh?” Chen Xingran looked at one of the male commentators, feeling strangely familiar. “I think I’ve seen this person before…”

“He was the one commentating during the New Star Cup last time,” Yang Yunche chuckled, feeling a bit helpless about Chen Xingran’s memory. “His name is Echo, one of the most well-known commentators in the Destiny scene. He often appears at various major events, so you’ll probably see him in the regular season and finals as well.”

“Oh,” Chen Xingran nodded in understanding. At the time of the New Star Cup, he hadn’t paid attention to who was commentating. After Yang Yunche’s explanation, he realized and made a mental note of the commentator named Echo.

As the match began, the camera switched to the S.Pub team.

Echo commented, “The S.Pub team is also a quite formidable team in the domestic scene. Being placed in this group, they still have a good chance of qualifying.”

The female commentator added, “S.Pub team chose Cloud Mist Heavenly Palace as their drop point. It seems they are aiming to fight for points right from the start. Cloud Mist Heavenly Palace has four teams landing there, so the battle will be quite intense.”

“Yes, let’s take a look at the distribution of teams in other parts of the map…”

Luo Baibai wondered, “Why didn’t S.Pub land at the Shrine area to contest the central resource point?”

Xiao Nan pondered, “There are two teams at the Shrine. They might be playing it safe, avoiding early conflicts.”

Chen Xingran couldn’t help but analyze further along with them, “But in that case, it’s hard to establish early advantages…”

Yang Yunche smirked, “They never intended to land at Cloud Mist Heavenly Palace.”

The three of them were stunned. “Huh?”

Luo Baibai protested, “That’s impossible. With two teams fighting for the central resource point, they wouldn’t miss this opportunity. At most, they’ll sweep around the outskirts of the palace and wait for a chance to strike.”

Yang Yunche glanced at him. “Wanna bet?”

Luo Baibai hesitated.

Chen Xingran became interested. “Bet! What are we betting on?”

“Well… let’s bet a hundred.”

Yang Yunche crossed his legs, looking relaxed. “I bet they’ll finish looting the airdrop, then roam around the outskirts, heading from Langfang to Bu Zhou Bridge, before turning back to Cloud Mist Heavenly Palace.”

He sounded so certain, even planning out S.Pub’s route in advance. Luo Baibai hesitated but finally gritted his teeth, “Okay, let’s bet!”

“Deal!”

Three peppermints were slapped onto the coffee table, each representing a hundred bucks, to be settled after the match.

Once the game started, they didn’t follow the broadcast’s camera but instead chose the fixed perspective of S.Pub.

In large-scale matches like this, a large exclusive viewing system was used. Every viewer at home could use the system to select the team they wanted to watch. After all, in a battle royale game, many teams would be fighting simultaneously. The broadcaster might not always switch to the most exciting scenes, so viewers could choose their own perspective. This not only fulfilled fans’ desires to watch their favorite team throughout the game but also reduced the server load of the viewing system. If they didn’t have a particular team in mind, they could just choose the main perspective and follow the broadcaster’s camera.

After landing, S.Pub quickly gathered armor and weapons, then swiftly regrouped. They swept around the outskirts of Cloud Mist Heavenly Palace. Within seven or eight seconds, the sounds of clashes nearby could be heard, but S.Pub paid no attention and left Cloud Mist Heavenly Palace. Just as Yang Yunche had predicted, they followed the Langfang direction, looting along the way until they reached Bu Zhou Bridge.

The three of them looked at each other.

Yang Yunche squinted, triumphant. “See? I told you.”

With that, he casually tucked the three peppermints on the table into his pocket. “A hundred bucks each, no backing out.”

Luo Baibai, looking at Yang Yunche’s fox-like expression, felt a bit resentful. “Let’s go again!”

Chen Xingran and Xiao Nan also quietly took out another peppermint each and slammed them on the table, the challenge implicit in their actions.

What started as a friendly gathering to watch the match gradually turned into an internal challenge within ZMD.

Yang Yunche remained unfazed, looking at the screen.

“Myth Team will camp at the halfway point on the mountainside.”

“In less than half a minute, at least two teams will engage in combat there.”

“Intervene? No, no, no. The Rangers Team definitely won’t engage this time.”

“See that golden crate? It’s definitely a decoy. There’s at least one team lurking in the nearby woods.”

“Gathering at the Eternal Spring as a third party? Hmm, most teams would do that, but Myth Team is already short-staffed. They play cautiously. You could see it when they faced the Sword Mania Team earlier. They won’t risk it this time.”

“Snap!”

“Snap!”

The three of them watched helplessly as Yang Yunche pocketed the peppermints on the table, gradually growing red-eyed. “Let’s go again!”

…

Half an hour later, Luo Baibai, Xiao Nan, and Chen Xingran looked at Yang Yunche’s pockets, bulging with peppermints and almost bursting, falling into silence.

“Still want to continue?”

Yang Yunche grinned, his eyes narrowed. “Each of you owes me two thousand six hundred now ah. I’ll be counting on you for the down payment on my next house.”

“Beast ah…”

Luo Baibai shivered with indignation, his eyes filled with despair. “How do you guess so accurately? Did you make a large trade? Did you kidnap the families of the teams in this match? Will you tear up the tickets ¹ if they don’t follow your script?”

“What’s with your accurate guesses?” 

Yang Yunche tapped his temple. “Brains, understand? That’s why I’m the captain, and you guys are the little team members.”

Yang Yunche’s tactical level was top-notch in the league. From the spectator’s perspective, he could see more. The teams in the game seemed to be following Yang Yunche’s script. He predicted where a team would appear, and soon enough, that team would show up there. He said where the battles would happen, and within a minute, the sound of gunfire erupted in those locations.

It was unbelievable.

Of course, Yang Yunche also made judgment errors sometimes, but his accuracy remained above 85%. Just when Chen Xingran and the others joyfully reclaimed their peppermints, they promptly handed them back to Yang Yunche. In just half an hour, each of them owed Yang Yunche two thousand six hundred.

This amount of money was insignificant for ZMD’s professional players. Even Chen Xingran, who was currently the poorest in ZMD, had a net worth of tens of millions from signing fees and commercial endorsements. But swallowing this pride was hard.

Especially when seeing Yang Yunche’s smug expression, it was infuriating.

“In terms of tactics, you still have a lot to learn.”

Yang Yunche sighed, pretending to be helpless. “You guys are really lucky to have such a strategizing commander…”

Luo Baibai signaled Chen Xingran with his eyes.

Chen Xingran tacitly understood and subtly nodded in response.

“Not continuing, huh? Alright then.”

Yang Yunche patted his bulging pockets. “Let’s continue watching the ma…”

Before he could finish, Chen Xingran, who was closest to Yang Yunche, acted swiftly, using a lightning-fast grappling technique to subdue Yang Yunche.

Luo Baibai and Xiao Nan who were gearing for action rushed forward and they each emptied one side of Yang Yunche’s pockets, retrieving every single peppermint.

“!!!”

Caught off guard, Yang Yunche struggled to break free, but faced with Chen Xingran’s decisive move, his efforts were futile.

“Rebellion”

Yang Yunche called out to Fu Zhou for help, “Xiao Fu, come protect me!”

Fu Zhou opened his laptop, pretending not to hear.

Despite being a whole head taller than Chen Xingran, Yang Yunche had no power to resist under the boy’s hold. Chen Xingran didn’t use too much force, merely gripping his arm to allow Luo Baibai and Xiao Nan to empty his pockets.

During the struggle, Yang Yunche’s hand accidentally slipped backward. Chen Xingran was wearing a loose loungewear set, with the front unbuttoned. Yang Yunche’s hand inadvertently slipped through the open gap, touching Chen Xingran’s bare skin.

His fingers brushed against the boy’s smooth, pale skin, and Yang Yunche’s face instantly turned bright red.

Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god…

Yang Yunche’s mind exploded like a mushroom cloud. One second he was full of righteous anger yelling “Rebellion! Rebellion!”, and the next, his mind was overwhelmed with “I touched him, I touched him” and “So smooth, so smooth.” He was at a loss for words and stopped struggling.

Moments later, Luo Baibai and Xiao Nan succeeded in their mission. Chen Xingran released his hold and calmly adjusted his clothes, fastening the buttons.

For the boys, physical play was normal, and Chen Xingran didn’t think much of it.

The three of them returned to their seats, acting as if nothing had happened, with calm and natural expressions.

Yang Yunche’s clothes and hair were a bit messy, and his face was flushed. Looking like a delicate willow in the wind, he gave Chen Xingran a pitiful look.

Was this a seduction?

It must be a seduction!

The others didn’t know what he was thinking. They just assumed he was upset and frustrated.

Chen Xingran, having buttoned his shirt, pretended not to notice and secretly smiled mischievously.

Yang Yunche regained his composure, patted his empty pockets, and protested, “What’s the deal? Can’t you handle losing? Ever heard of ‘a bet’s a bet’?”

“A bet?” Luo Baibai feigned surprise. “Captain, what are you talking about? Professional players participating in gambling is against the rules!”

Xiao Nan added, “We were just stopping you from falling into the depths of gambling.”

Chen Xingran nodded obediently, “Mm-hmm.”

Yang Yunche glanced at Chen Xingran, his gaze awkwardly shifting, then said begrudgingly, “Even if you took the candy, you still owe me two thousand six each. I’ve got it all noted.”

“Two thousand six? What’s two thousand six?” Luo Baibai asked, looking bewildered.

Xiao Nan appeared confused. “I don’t know.”

Luo Baibai said, “Captain, you must be dreaming. Weren’t we just discussing the match? You’re acting all strange, rambling on. Isn’t that right, Ran Bao?”

Chen Xingran nodded obediently, “Mm-hmm.”

Yang Yunche was speechless.

F*ck, they’re out to get me.

If you're enjoying the story don't forget to support the author! You can also support me on KOFI for site maintenance, raws purchase or as an energy boost~ 

 

AFFILIATE AD

Want to develop your career or work on a new hobby but don't have the financial resources? Check out these courses encompassing all aspects and topics. Want to build your own website or app, but don't even know what <!DOCTYPE> is, how about these IT Courses. Don't want to keep waiting for slow translators to update? 别担心！中文课程来拯救你了! Did you just become a Teacher and have NO idea what the f*ck you're doing? Early Childhood Education For Dummies 101 is in session! Lied on your CV that you can work under pressure but are now hiding in the bathroom playing ostrich? You still have to come up for air anyways so how about taking a Self Development course to manage stress and improve mental health. Whatever you're interested in, at the click of a button. And the best thing it's all for free! And...you can get an accredited certificate! START LEARNING BEFORE YOU'RE TOO OLD TO RETAIN ANYTHING OR GET FIRED FROM YOUR JOB! Or if you are fired, Build A New Resume to reel in the next one~

 

 

Translator Notes

1. kill a hostage[↩]